In 1973 S.F. Brownrigg made Don't Look in the Basement, a
low budget thriller which has become looked over, almost
forgotten when referring to horror classics. Don't Look in
the Basement takes a group of great characters in a mental
asylum and pits them in different scenarios, as a young nurse
tries to survive and put the pieces together, as to the bizarre
occurrences at The Stephens Sanatorium. Despite the low budget,
it had some great chills, performances and a great ending. Itâs
an underrated chiller which needs to be sought out. Forty years
later, S.F. Brownrigg's son Tony, from out of nowhere, delivers
on his late father's legacy by making a sequel to the
underappreciated drive in classic. This is a sequel which I
didn't expect much from, and by reading a lot of reviews, many
others didn't either. I can proudly say I ate crow and was
impressed by how enjoyable and highly engaging Don't Look in
the Basement 2 is.

It definitely helps to see the original film to get an
understanding of what is going on in this sequel, but itâs not
absolutely necessary. We do get some flashbacks but not to the
point where it overpowers the material and risks becoming a
muddled mess. Tony Brownrigg also uses the same formula in this
sequel by relying on his characters to make the film
entertaining, including a great lead performance by Andrew
Sensenig who is an established Broadway actor and who I remember
from another horror film called We Are Still Here.
Sensenig really brings his character to life as the concerned
doctor, William Matthews, trying to better his patients but also
struggling with his own personal demons. Then we get the young
hot headed doctor Lance White, played by Frank Mosley, another
well established and recognized actor who disagrees with
Matthewsâ methods and has his own views on how the patients at
the facility should be handled. The character of Sam from the
original movie, played by Willie Minor, deserves an honorable
mention as does the couple of orderlies (Jim O'Rear and Scott
Tepperman) who add a comedic and surprisingly likable touch to
the movie.

Once again, taking the indie/low budget route Don't Look in
the Basement 2 reeks of professional looking filmmaking. The
high quality HD presentation is immaculate and the actors and
effects are of an extremely high calibre (it seems Marcus Koch
has been able to remarkably splice himself in different pieces
to do the effects for every noteworthy indie film being made
recently). Anthony might have even surpassed his fatherâs
original film and made a superior product -- something I'm sure
his dad would be proud of him for! The quirky patients really
add that touch of necessary creepiness and at the same time add
another emotional layer where you feel sorry for them. They all
play off each other and it comes together in great fashion at
the same time.

Don't Look in
the Basement 2 picks up where the original left off. We get the character named
Sam who was in the original (this time being played by Willie
Minor of course), being transferred to a seemingly different
mental institution after the tragedy that occurred at The
Stephens Sanatorium, where Sam was said to have killed a number
of residents. Once Sam arrives, bizarre things begin happening
and the patients start portraying violent and deviant behaviors
towards each other and the doctors. There are some particular
moments including one harrowing scene involving actor Chester
Rushing, who plays the mentally handicapped Roman, which graces
the cover of the movie -- a very disturbing image which will
haunt your memories!

Throw in some great twists and turns, nice jump scares, a bunch
of interesting characters and expand on the already existing
storyline and you have a winner here. Don't Look in
the Basement 2 impressed me big time and it snuck up on me which
is a bonus. Itâs a thriller that builds and builds and has some
great memorable scenes. An indie movie which can tangle with the
big boys and win -- only if Hollywood had this kind of panache.